Someone Special
by lily moonlight
Summary: During a day that doesn't entirely go to plan, Danny takes Lucy on a visit to meet someone special. By the end of the day he realises once again that life never entirely goes to plan either. Danny, Lindsay & Lucy with a little bit of Mac/Stella. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own very little, especially not CSI NY. **

**Author: Lily Moonlight**

**Notes: This is a two part story written for my friend **_**Brinchen86**_**, who is one of the most dedicated DL writers on the site. I haven't written much for this pairing before, but I wanted to give this a try for her and this is the result – something rather more lighthearted than usual, featuring Danny, Lucy and Lindsay with a little bit of Mac and Stella as well :D**

**Many thanks to **_**Ballettmaus**_** and **_**DNAisUnique**_** for their time and help with this. **

Someone Special

Chapter One

"You almost ready, Luce?" Reaching the doorway of his daughter's bedroom, Danny rested his hand on the door jamb above his head, grinning at the sight in front of him. "I guess not..."

His four year old daughter, dressed half in and half out of a pink sweater, hopped about the room. The only parts of her he could see were a tuft of blonde hair and a hand, sticking out of the neck hole, which waved about in the air.

"Anyone ever tell you that sweaters are really great when you put them on with your head through the head hole and your arms through the arm holes?"

He took a step into the room and crouched down. As Lucy stood still, panting with the exertion of her attempts to get dressed, he managed to tug at the bottom of the sweater. A moment later, her head popped free revealing pink cheeks, tousled hair and a look of surprise on her face.

"Daddy! _I_ was doing it!" Her voice rang with indignation as she wriggled away from him while he tried to straighten her outfit and release her arms. A few hours alone with his daughter, something that should have been straightforward, was turning out more difficult than usual. It was not an unusual occurrence, being in charge of Lucy. Duties roughly evened out between Lindsay and him. Today's change in Lucy's usual routine, however, and the visit they were going on that was the cause of that change meant emotions were running high for the youngest Messer.

As he sat back and watched her wrestle with her sweater, Danny considered that it had seemed a pretty straightforward series of events; entertain Lucy for the morning, give her lunch, go to the hospital. Lindsay had even written him a reminder of the visiting hours of the hospital. It should have been easy. _Should._ A vague memory wandered into his mind, some quote he'd heard somewhere, possibly from Mac, about best-laid plans... A grunt of irony escaped him.

The morning had gone smoothly enough, consisting of breakfast without too much chaos and a trip to the nearest park to enjoy the warmth of the spring day. Afterwards they had stopped on the way back home for a milkshake. Danny, remembering it with a twinge of guilt, hoped Lucy's strawberry milk stained T shirt now tucked at the bottom of the laundry hamper could be washed back to its regular colour.

Unfortunately, the harmonious mood had become discordant over lunch.

Lucy's unequivocal opinion was that he hadn't made it in the right way; the way _Mommy_ made it. He'd disagreed; arguing that he'd made it exactly the same way Mommy made it, he'd just used a can of soup and added a little more brown to the toast. Sure, he didn't normally open a can, but they were short of time and for once their frozen supplies of homemade soup were cleaned out. The bowl of soup tipped up all over the table and toast thrown on the floor had preceded howls from Lucy and bewilderment from him.

However, he had soon had the mess cleaned up and his temper cooled. Following that, a sniffing and tear-streaked Lucy had snuggled into his arms, both of them having admitted that they missed Mommy when she was at work. At least he had been able to promise they would be seeing her in a few hours, and before that they had someone very special to meet. Then Lucy would have the important job of telling Mommy all about him.

That affirmation had calmed the sobs and dried the tears. After a few last gulps and a scrub of her eyes and nose with his shirt, she had scrambled down out of his arms and rushed to get herself changed. Danny had grabbed a cloth from beside the sink and rendered his shirt and himself presentable.

Smiling to himself now, he admired her efforts to manage by herself; however, it was clear that some assistance might be needed. Admirable as it was, Lucy's enthusiasm to get dressed by herself hadn't quite been able to overcome the challenges a sweater, a skirt and a pair of tights presented. A pink sweater, a red skirt and a yellow pair of tights no less. Danny had winced at the sight. Even as a man who did not expend much concern on colour coordination, he knew some colours should _not_ be worn together. But as Lucy stood in front of him, a look of exasperation on her face, he couldn't stop a smile cracking his face.

"You know what, I can see you're doing a great job getting dressed, but maybe I can give you a little help to speed things up?" he offered, still crouching on his haunches in front of her.

She huffed out her cheeks, shook her head and proceeded to twist herself round in a series of impressive rubber-boned movements, hidden half inside her clothing until both arms finally poked out of the sleeves. The achievement put a look of triumph on her face and a swell of pride in his heart. At the same time, he couldn't deny that it brought its own kind of sadness. Lucy was more independent than he would like at times, and he sighed. He watched his daughter, his eyes drinking in the present; seeing at the same time the future that would come, inevitably.

As happy as he felt seeing her able to manage these tasks by herself, it reminded him that there were fewer and fewer things she needed him to do for her. There would be fewer times when he could offer her his hand and his help, and gradually, he knew, her hand would not fit so securely within his anymore. He would have to let her go, and hope that she knew she could always return and that his hand would always be there to hold hers.

Shaking himself, Danny pulled himself back to the moment. Being grown up was still a long way off, a very long way off. So he kept and would keep telling himself.

Watching Lucy dancing about the room enjoying her success lifted some of the burden of his thoughts. He grinned, rose to his feet and seized the opportunity to tiptoe up behind her and drag the sweater into place, provoking a squeal of protest.

She stopped in front of him, hands on her hips, presenting a sight that made him squint in consideration. While his wife was certainly not fussy, she took a certain amount of pride in Lucy's appearance and he could guess what she would have to say. The much-maligned sweater was stretched at all angles with loose threads dangling from the cuffs. His heart sank as he realised that it was the pink sweater that Lindsay's mother had bought for her granddaughter, and that Lindsay liked to keep for special occasions. In the state it looked now though, it was likely to be demoted from its status as 'best' clothing.

But, it would have to do. There was no possibility of getting Lucy to change clothes again. While she began to gather up a few toys to take with her, he noticed the sweater she had worn in the morning bundled on the floor. Picking it up, he saw with resignation the streak of oatmeal down the front of it. That, he decided, had probably come from breakfast. Lindsay would love the fact Lucy had managed to go through three outfits in a day, he thought with some irony. He tossed it into the laundry hamper to join the T shirt, deciding he could load the washing machine when they returned.

If they were ever ready to leave...

Managing to smooth his daughter's hair down, he asked, "You going to be much longer? We don't want to keep Aunt Stella and Uncle Mac waiting, do we? Or Alexander," he added, the realisation striking him that it was taking some getting used to that those two had become three. Most people indeed were still getting used to the fact that two such defined individuals had become one couple.

Oblivious to his musings, Lucy abandoned her toy hunt and flumped down on the carpet, her legs stuck out in front of her. At that point Danny noticed exactly what her footwear was.

_Interesting_.

One eyebrow quirked. "What's the deal with the shoes, Luce?"

Lucy sighed and regarded him with an exasperated look as she held out one foot. "You have to tie my laces for me, Daddy. You _know_ that."

It was a good way to avoid answering his question; Danny had to give her credit for that as he crouched down and took hold of the proffered foot. "Usually I have two lots of laces to tie. Where's your other sneaker?"

"Under my bed." She rolled her eyes to indicate it, and almost lost her balance tilting over in the process.

"Uh huh..." Danny nodded. "Well, when I've tied the laces on this one, you go fetch it. You are not going to be able to walk in two different shoes."

"But I can't decide!" Lucy gazed at him with wide eyes as he finished a deftly done bow on the sneakers with a flourish, before placing her foot back on the floor.

Bracing his hands on his knees he gave her as stern a look as he could manage. "You're going to have to decide; sneakers or princess shoes, not one of each."

"But I want to wear _both_," she insisted, perplexed at the fact that he did not seem to agree with her. "They're _both_ my favourites. Mommy bought me my sneakers and Aunt Stella bought me my princess shoes."

As Danny gazed at the numerous pairs of shoes strewn round the room he felt his forehead crinkling in amazement at just how many pairs a four year old could possess.

"You and your Aunt Stella have been doing too much shoe-shopping..." he murmured to himself, considering that _Aunt Stella_ had a lot to answer for – he hadn't missed how Lucy's eyes lit up whenever Stella offered to look after her, knowing full well she would be allowed to play dress up with her extensive collection of shoes and outfits or be taken on outings to add to that collection. It prompted him to wonder if Mac was even allowed any closet space for his clothes...

He turned back, however, to an expectant Lucy. "Listen, baby, I know you love your sneakers and I know you love your princess shoes, but it's got to be one or the other. You choose. And you're going to have to be quick, because..." he checked his watch, "we got to leave in five minutes."

Silence followed; Lucy remained in the same position, her feet clad in one sparkling pink and white sneaker and one plastic, glitter-splashed high-heeled shoe. Her bottom lip trembled ominously and Danny groaned to himself. Careful, tactful thinking was called for. And not a few of his negotiation skills. Lindsay, he knew, would certainly not want her daughter to be wearing high-heeled shoes to go walking in. The princess shoes were for dress-up only. To buy a little time, he regarded her in vexation. Until an idea came to him.

"How about this," he started, figuring out the scenario as he talked. "You wear your sneakers to start with, because we got to do some walking to get a cab and then more walking once we're inside the hospital..." Seeing Lucy about to protest, as her hands pressed against her hips and her mouth started to pout he held his hand up. "Remember what the rule is about interrupting? Let me finish, then you can tell me what you think, okay?"

Lucy hesitated, then nodded, lips pursed, still wavering as Danny continued, "Okay, so, when we get to your Aunt Stella's room, _then_ you can put your princess shoes on. You can show them to her and Uncle Mac and Alexander. When we leave, you got to put your sneakers back on. But soon as we're home, you can wear the princess shoes again. How's that sound?"

Even though he said it himself, it sounded a pretty good plan; Lindsay would be proud of him.

Lucy, however, did not appear convinced. Her face scrunched up in thought and her index finger pressed to her lips as she pondered his proposition.

As the moments passed, Danny realised his back disliked the position he was in; giving him, as it did now and again, an unpleasant reminder of events more than three years ago. An acceleration in Lucy's thinking was needed. Hiding a grimace from her curiosity, he sat down on his backside opposite her, the soles of his feet touching hers. It didn't take long for another grin to crack his face, despite the attempt to suppress it. There was something about the profound look of thought remaining on Lucy's face that tickled him.

Staying as serious as he could, Danny nudged her foot. "There's a time limit on deciding, I'm going to count you down from ten... ten, nine, eight..."

"I'm thinking!" she exclaimed, banging her heel on the floor.

"Best hurry up with that thinking... seven, six..."

"Daddy!" She gave him her most imploring look, hands clasped together, almost undoing his resolution. With considerable effort, he remained focused.

"Five, four, three, two..." he paused, leaning forwards, elbows out to the side as his hands rested on his thighs.

She drummed her heels and thumped her fists on the floor in desperation. "I need more time! I'm still thinking!"

He swung his head from side to side. "More time ain't part of the rules. One and a half, one and a quarter, one..."

"Okay, okay!" Lucy burst forth. "I'll wear my sneakers." She folded her arms, chin jutting out. "If I have to." The look from the out of the corner of her eye almost finished him off. The thought crossed his mind that there should be awards for keeping his face straight in these circumstances.

Giving her a nod of approval, Danny knocked his foot against hers again. "Good choice, Luce. Fetch me your other sneaker from under the bed and we'll bust out of here when you're presentable."

Heaving a gusty sigh, she crawled over to the bed on her hands and knees and fished about underneath it, finally drawing out the errant sneaker.

Once that issue was dealt with, he was sure they would breeze through all the other items on his checklist. After two sneakers had been secured on Lucy's feet, he sat watching her hunt for the pink backpack that she always took on any expedition, packed with varying treasures and expedition essentials. Though Danny did not consider the assortment of small plastic toys, felt tip pens and other paraphernalia that she usually selected as essentials, he knew their importance to his daughter.

Once the empty backpack was located, also under her bed, she dumped it down in front of him along with the assortment of items she had gathered.

"Can I take Dora doll as well?" she asked, sweeping the doll off the floor and holding her up. "Can I show her to Alexander?"

"Sure you can." Danny wondered though how well that would work and hoped that Lucy would not be disappointed if she did not get the reaction from Alexander he expected she was hoping for. He watched her, considering what else she would ask.

Lucy had already bent down to sort through the heap of items. "Can I show him my shoes too?" After plucking one of them from the collection in front of her, she continued to survey the rest of the items with her hands on her hips and her forehead puckered in consideration.

"Yeah, them too," he smiled, taking the one she held and pulling the other one towards him ready to go in the bag.

Nodding thoughtfully, Lucy looked again at the toys. "But he can't play with my shoes 'cause I'll be wearing them. What else can I take for him to play with?"

"Maybe just take stuff to show him today, honey," Danny began to undo the knotted drawstring of the bag and prepared to explain matters. "Because he's way too little yet to play with. I'm sorry honey, it's great that you want to share your toys but that's the deal with babies. You see," he continued as Lucy stared at him looking disappointed, "when babies are as new as Alexander, they're kind of... helpless. Their Moms and Dads have to take care of them and do everything for them; feed them, wash them and..." he grinned at Lucy, "get them dressed."

"But _I_ do all those things by myself," Lucy argued, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I eat all my food by myself and brush my teeth by myself and... and everything!"

"Course you do, 'cause you're a big girl, not a baby. You're smart and you know how to do lots of things. But you didn't when you were a baby," he said, finally managing to undo the stubborn knot and open up the backpack. "Your Mom and I did all those things for you then. I know you're disappointed, but you're going to have to wait a couple of years yet before you can play with Alexander."

Lucy's face fell. "But years are a long time, Daddy. A really, really, _really_ long time." She chewed her lip in thought and then turned wide brown eyes to him. "That's hundreds and hundreds of sleeps!" A disgruntled look appeared on her face. "I'll be grown up when he's big enough to play with me."

With a chuckle, Danny kissed her nose. "Not quite, baby, you got a lot more years to go yet before you're a grown up like your Mom and me." Although, he had to admit, there were days when Lindsay would be hard pushed to describe him as a grown up...

Seeing Lucy was still dissatisfied, he tried to elevate her mood by reminding her that she could still show Uncle Mac and Aunt Stella her toys and when they got home, they could have some playtime as well. And there was the bouquet of flowers they had bought that morning to give to Aunt Stella as well. She agreed with a heavy sigh, looking a little more cheerful nevertheless, and the backpack was soon filled.

Five minutes later, they were ready to go. Danny breathed a sigh of relief and checked his watch again. The day was back on track.

The cab ride to the hospital passed rapidly, with Lucy kneeling to look out of the window, apparently unimpeded by the seatbelt. Cab rides through the city were amongst her favourite activities and she never seemed to tire of the sights she saw. Dogs were always looked for and during the journey she compiled a list of eighteen dogs she had spotted. It was almost another struggle to remove her from the cab once they reached their destination, but after reminding her why they were there, she clambered out with willingness.

At the main entrance, only half-listening to Lucy's enthusiastic chatter while he made sure of his grip on her hand, Danny strode forwards. Fatherly instincts were on full alert due to the streams of people flowing to and from the doors. It would not take much to lose hold of a small hand in a large crowd so he made sure hers was enfolded in his. His grasp was secure but gentle; mindful of the still so very little fingers within his.

Beaming up at him as she skipped alongside him, her eyes were bright and her face joyful. She jigged up and down on the spot as he asked for directions at the reception desk and hauled him along towards the elevators as soon as they were pointed out by the receptionist. Danny grinned, glad to see her mood had perked up again and that she was still excited about meeting Alexander.

A few people were waiting at the bank of elevators including a young woman dressed in an outfit almost as garish as Lucy's who gave her a smile and a wink. Danny gave her a brief smile and Lucy, after a moment's stare, returned her an exaggerated wink then hid her face in Danny's legs with a giggle at her audaciousness.

As soon as the car arrived, Danny guided Lucy forwards with his hands on her shoulders, maneuvering into a space near the back. The usual elevator silence amongst strangers fell as the doors slid shut, but it was not a silence that lasted long.

As the car shuddered into motion, a little hand tugged on his and a clear and carrying voice asked, "Daddy, where did Aunt Stella's baby come from?"

**I hope you enjoyed this first chapter; chapter two will be up on Friday. I'm a little way out of my comfort zone in writing this, so I'd really appreciate your thoughts in a review! Thank you, Lily x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own very little, especially not CSI NY. **

**Author: Lily Moonlight**

**Notes: Thank you for the alerts and favourites, and especially thanks to those who took the time to review, it's much appreciated :) Thank you to DLL LUVR for your review also, sorry I couldn't send a proper reply. I hope you all like this second chapter.**

**Again, many thanks to **_**Ballettmaus**_** and **_**DNAisUnique**_** for their time and help with this. **

Someone Special

Chapter Two

The ride up to the fourteenth floor turned into one of the most excruciating Danny had ever faced. Lucy's interrogation skills were on a par with Mac's. Questions about babies and Mommies and Daddies left him groping for age appropriate answers while his face heated at the thought of explaining the facts of life to his daughter in front of an audience. He had a feeling that an explanation of cabbage patches and storks would not cut much slack with her and he was proved correct.

It was easy enough to explain that the baby had come from inside Aunt Stella's tummy, but that was not enough for Lucy; she wanted to know _how_ it had got there. The look of scepticism on her face almost made him choke when he tentatively offered a response about babies coming from _special places_ that only Moms and Dads knew about.

As they reached their floor, finally, he exhaled in mortification, diving through the other occupants to reach the doors as soon as they opened, pulling Lucy with him.

"You got a cute kid there," a young doctor commented as he disembarked. "Some nice answers you came up with." With a chuckle, he strolled off.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks buddy," Danny muttered, hefting Lucy's backpack onto his shoulder, remembering just in time that her young ears were attuned to pick up any hint of a curse from him, and that she would inform Lindsay at the nearest opportunity.

Fortunately, very fortunately, the exodus from the elevator proved a distraction, and she was too busy gazing at the bustle of a busy hospital corridor to ask any more questions. Feeling his cheeks cool, Danny took hold of her hand again and led her forwards.

After a few steps, she began to lag and asked if she could be carried. He debated briefly before tucking the slightly flattened flowers through the handle of the backpack, swinging her into his arms and balancing her against his hip. The kiss she planted on his cheek after wrapping her arms round his shoulders was more than worth any discomfort he decided, forgiving all the embarrassment of the elevator as well.

A few steps further and she asked, "Daddy, can I talk to Alexander?"

Her question was abrupt and he looked quizzically at her, slowing his steps. "Sure you can talk to him, if he's awake. But he might be asleep..."

"Asleep?" She looked puzzled.

"Babies need lots of sleep, even in the day time." He grinned at her. "Even you did when you were a baby. You used to sleep after your lunch, every day."

He well remembered the times he and Lindsay had crawled into bed or simply dropped asleep on the couch, snatching every spare minute of sleep that they could.

"So I can't talk to him if he's asleep." She looked resigned.

"Afraid not, baby girl," he said. "And he's not going to be able to say anything back to you. You know babies can't talk."

"I know, Daddy," she sighed. "Why did Uncle Mac and Aunt Stella want a baby? They're kind of boring."

Stopping for a moment, he shifted Lucy into a more comfortable position for his back before smirking at her. "They wanted to have one for the same reason me and your Mom wanted to have you, because having a baby is very special." Even though it had come as a shock and it had taken him time to get used to the idea, he spoke the truth.

"Huh," Lucy rolled her eyes, unimpressed as she fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "I don't see they're so special, they can't do a whole lot of stuff."

"Well, when you get older, you might think differently," Danny said, somewhat absently, as time began to spin forwards against his will again, accelerating the years in his mind. The last four years had fled past, although there were moments when the world seemed to stop; when something seized the ordinary, making him realise the extraordinary – that he was a father.

And so he gave another smile to his daughter. "Lots of people like babies and there's plenty of stuff they _can_ do..."

"What stuff?" she demanded, staring at him.

He shrugged. "They can sleep, drink milk or formula, sleep some more, cry, poop in their diapers..."

"_Daddy!_" She was gleefully outraged. "You said a bad word! You said 'poop'! Mommy says that's rude." Her hands pressed against his cheeks, squashing them together as Danny chuckled.

"Hey, no attacking Daddy." She moved her hands a fraction, but her brown eyes bored into his, her face pressed close to his, and he gave her a lopsided grin. "Okay, I'm sorry for saying a bad word, it won't happen again," he winked at her, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Just don't tell your Mom."

Lucy considered. "Okay," she conceded, looking stern, her hands still cupping his face as she patted it to emphasise each word. "But you got to promise you don't say it again..."

He managed to disguise the laugh that slipped out as a cough, hearing a mimic of her mother in her response. "You got my word."

"And you got to get me a blueberry pancake," she added, giving him a grin so wide he could see all her neat little white teeth.

He laughed and shook his head. "No blackmailing Daddy either... but we'll see. Maybe on the way back home the cab might find its way to our pancake place, okay?"

"Okay." Satisfied, Lucy let her hands drop, one draping round the back of his neck, the other tangling in the chain of his dog tags. They snagged her interest and she turned them in her hands, studying the surface of them intently as he walked on in a thoughtful silence, dwelling on memories of Lucy's babyhood, now past and gone.

"Are we there yet, Daddy?" Lucy's voice, bordering on plaintive, brought him out of his reverie.

"Almost," he replied, glancing at the numbers on the doors of the rooms and private wards and comparing them to the number he'd scrawled on the back of his hand. "Little bit further." So he hoped anyway; his back was beginning to rebel against the weight he was carrying. "How about you get down and walk now, baby girl?"

"I'm not a baby," she groused, nevertheless sliding out of his arms and down to the ground. "I can do stuff babies can't."

Grinning to himself, Danny sighed and plastered a look of mock sadness on his face, guessing the reason for her sudden dislike of the affectionate term. "Aw, gee, Luce. Does that mean if you're not my baby girl anymore you're too old and big and grown up to have blueberry pancakes with me after we've seen Alexander?"

Horror dropped onto Lucy's face and she halted in the middle of the floor, causing a hurrying man to perform a neatly-executed dodge round her. Danny threw him a look of apology.

"I'm _not_ too big and old and grown up for blueberry pancakes!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Really? You're really, truly, honestly, cross your heart not too big for blueberry pancakes?" Danny folded his arms and bounced on his heels as he regarded her as seriously as he could.

"Really, really, honestly, truly, cross my heart and promise _not too big_!" She drew two lines across her chest with her finger as she spoke. "And besides," she added triumphantly. "You got to be a grown up to eat pancakes."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to believe you," Danny grinned and took hold of her hand again. "So, we got a deal? You can manage pancakes after all that strawberry milkshake?" He hoped so as she nodded vigorously, suffering a twitch of doubt about the somewhat rash promise he had just made.

Lucy soon piped up again as she trotted along. "I feel sorry for babies." Danny looked at her, raising a questioning eyebrow. "They can't eat pancakes," she explained. "Which is sad, 'cause pancakes are one of the bestest things in the world."

He laughed. "Got to agree with you there, Luce; pancakes, baseball, and most of all, your Mom and you. Best and most special things in the world."

Ruffling her hair, his heart grew mighty as she wrapped her arms round him in a sudden hug. "You're best too, Daddy, and so's Mommy."

"Yes she is," he swooped her into his arms again; ignoring his back and muffling the gruffness of his voice in her hair as they reached the door they had been searching for. "She sure is."

Pausing for a moment outside, Danny cleared his throat. "Okay, you want to knock?"

"Sure." From his arms, Lucy leaned over and gave a gentle tap to the surface before scrunching her fists up under her chin and giving a shiver of excitement as she beamed at him. "I hope Alexander's awake," she whispered loudly.

Stella's voice, in low tones, called them in. Feeling anticipation himself at seeing the new parents and their baby for the first time, Danny pushed the door open, a smile broadening across his face at the scene revealed. The light and airy room seemed filled with flowers and cards, but it was the occupants that drew his attention.

Sitting on the bed, dressed more casually than he had ever seen her before in a loose shirt and dark sweat pants, Stella looked tired but bright-eyed. Mac, who had stood up at their entrance, offering a welcome in an undertone, held their sleeping, day-old son against his shoulder. The baby had his face turned towards his father, his tiny fist in a shell-like shape against his face. A thicket of dark hair stood out on his head which Danny grinned at the sight of; remembering Lucy's fine wisps of hair at birth.

"Hey you two," Stella spoke softly, smiling and holding her arms out to Lucy. "It's good to see you guys."

Returning her greeting, Danny made to put Lucy down, but to his surprise, she shook her head fiercely and hid her face against his neck. A look of hurt, gone almost as soon as it had appeared, flashed onto Stella's face, to be replaced by curiosity.

"What's up, Luce?" Danny asked, twisting his head at an awkward angle to look at her. "You not giving your Aunt Stella a hug?"

Stepping further into the room, he gave Stella a bewildered shrug as Lucy shook her head again and clung on.

"What's made you shy all of a sudden?" Danny ran his hand down Lucy's back, but she stayed as she was, hiding her face, and he decided not to press the issue, turning instead back to Stella, who now had sympathy in her features.

"I guess this is all a little overwhelming. Hospitals can be pretty scary," she suggested, glancing up at Mac who nodded, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder before he moved it to stroke the baby's head as he had begun to grizzle.

"I know you're not crazy about them either, as you've reminded me several times today," he gave her an amused glance in return for the face she pulled at him before he turned to his goddaughter. "That's a very colourful outfit you're wearing, Lucy," he said gently, half a smile on his face as he peered round to see her. "Did you choose it yourself?"

Lucy raised her head for a moment and nodded before burying it again in Danny's shoulder.

He gave Mac a wry look. "I had _nothing_ to do with it. Anyhow," he added before running an appraising look over his co-workers. "How you guys doing?"

The last time he had seen both of them had been three days ago; when Mac had looked fraught and strung tighter than a wire and Stella had been laid out on the couch in his office, complaining that she felt like a porpoise, could hardly move, and wanted this baby to be out already.

"We're good," Mac replied the smile still on his face as he patted Alexander's back.

Danny pursed up his mouth and nodded, seeing the truth. "You look good." With a smirk, he addressed his next words to Stella, "I see you've lost a little weight."

She slid him a narrow-eyed look. "Thanks, Danny. As I'm sure Lindsay can explain to you, it's a side-effect of giving birth to a ten pound baby. He's really _not_ such a little guy, believe me," she said dryly.

"Ten pounds? You serious?" Danny winced, unwilling to take his mind any further. It had been enough for him witnessing what Lindsay had been through giving birth to Lucy, who had been substantially smaller.

Mac, after exchanging another glance with Stella, full of unspoken feeling as their eyes met, answered Danny. "Ten pounds and two ounces. According to my Mom, Taylor babies are born big." His hand came to rest briefly on the back of Stella's neck, giving it a caress before he transferred it to his son's back again, soothing him. "But we're all doing pretty good and should be going home later today when we get the all-clear."

"That's great." Danny was pleased at the news, knowing Lindsay would also be happy to hear that. "Is your Mom going to be seeing her grandson anytime soon?"

"She's flying out here tomorrow," Mac answered a smile lighting his whole face, revealing the tremendous pride he so clearly had at being a father.

"I'm happy for you guys. Truly, all of us are." Emotions rose in him and he snuggled his head against Lucy, who had not made a murmur yet.

As both Mac and Stella's attention turned to their waking son he took a few moments to observe them both. Their happiness was radiant, despite the weariness that was clear on their faces as well. A small smile crossed his face, as he recognised the dazed but euphoric look of new parents they possessed. It had been the same for Lindsay and him. Even weeks after Lucy's birth they had still been reeling from the seismic shifting of their lives; wondering what exactly had hit them and knowing that life would never be the same again.

And here he was now, with Lucy four years old and two people that he cared about embarking on the same huge adventure Lindsay and he had done. The memory of the hospital room they were in after Lindsay had given birth gleamed in his mind's eye; he remembered with new insight Mac and Stella standing together and the looks shared between them as they had held his newborn daughter. With the progression of time, certain things made sense. Although at that moment all he had been capable of processing, and that barely, was that he and Lindsay had a new little life they were entirely responsible for.

Holding Lucy in his arms, still with his eyes on the trio in front of him, he took the opportunity to ask her if she wanted to get down to see Alexander and say hello to her Aunt and Uncle. There was a pause before she moved her head to look at him, but after a moment staring at him, she nodded and he set her down, handing her the now rather squashed bouquet of flowers. She took it but kept hold of him, her arm wrapped round his legs as she gazed round the room.

Turning her eyes from her son and seeing Lucy out of her father's arms, Stella smiled. Keeping her voice soft, she invited her to come and sit by her. With a wide-eyed glance up at Danny, Lucy nodded and with a finger hooked into her mouth, pulling him with her, she crossed the floor to the bed.

Stella shifted over carefully and patted the cover beside her. "There's a space here just big enough for you, sweetie," she coaxed, offering her hand to Lucy. "You know, your Uncle Mac and me and Alexander have been excited about you coming to see us, haven't we?" She cast her gaze up to Mac who added his confirmation. Watching, Danny was relieved to note that a tiny smile appeared on Lucy's face at that and she held out the flowers to Stella who exclaimed in delight at them and placed them on the cabinet next to the bed. Smiling more confidently, Lucy released Danny's hand and let him help her up onto the bed, leaning into her Aunt's side as she placed her arm round her.

Stella dropped a kiss on the top of Lucy's head as she cuddled her, lowering her head so her curls dangled around her face. "Have you and your Daddy had a fun morning together?"

Lucy giggled and nodded. "Your hair's tickling me, Aunt Stella." She brushed Stella's hair away from her face. "Will Alexander have curly hair like you?" She lifted one of the curls in question.

Stella threw a grin towards Mac as she answered. "I think he's going to have hair like your Uncle Mac; straight and sensible, not crazy and curly like mine."

"But I like your hair, Aunt Stella," Lucy gazed solemnly at her and let go of the curl she had hold of. "It's springy."

Danny snorted, Stella laughed outright and even Mac chuckled as he continued to pace around the room with his son.

"Why thank you, Lucy, that's nice of you to say." Stella gave a friendly tug to one of Lucy's locks. "And you have very pretty hair."

"I brushed it all by myself," Lucy answered, puffing up with pride as Stella admired it.

"You did a great job, honey." She grinned up at Danny quickly. "And you did a great job choosing your clothes as well." Lucy beamed as Stella continued, turning her attention to her fully, "But I've got a real important question to ask you; because you've made a special visit to come see us and because you're such a grown-up girl, would you like to have a hold of Alexander?"

Lucy's eyes became round and wide and she nodded mutely as she stared awe-struck at Stella, clutching her skirt, her feet wiggling with the enormity of the offer.

"You sure that's okay, Stella?" Danny asked, dropping Lucy's backpack onto the floor and thrusting his hands into his pockets, realising momentarily that the princess shoes that had caused so much fuss earlier had been forgotten about.

"Sure, Danny." She smiled at Lucy. "Lucy can sit right where she is next to me and they'll both be fine."

Still nervous, but trusting his daughter, Danny stepped out of the way as Mac came round to the side of the bed Lucy was sitting on. Stella moved over a little more, keeping one arm round Lucy and Mac lowered a just-waking Alexander into the little girl's waiting arms with care. As soon as he was placed in them, she inhaled and emitted a small 'ooh!' which Danny recognised as being an indication of both excitement and nervousness. Stella kept one hand under her son's head and her other round Lucy's waist, offering a few reassurances to her.

At first Lucy sat rigid, staring down at the baby who blinked at her, her mouth wide open in wonderment at the tiny being in her arms. The three adults in the room were silent, watching. Remembering the camera he had caught up just before they left, Danny groped about in his pockets and located it, remembering to disable the flash before he captured the image to show his wife.

Alexander, however, as soon as the picture had been taken, seemed to realise that he had left the security of his father's arms. His fists began to flail, his face crumpled and turned a deep shade of puce and he let everyone know that he was deeply unhappy using the full force of day-old lungs. It amazed Danny all over again after his experience with Lucy how someone so small could produce a sound so loud.

The look on Lucy's face changed in an instant from wonder to absolute terror and in a moment two sets of cries had erupted.

"Make him stop! Make him stop, Daddy!" she howled as Stella swiftly took charge of Alexander, lifting him out of the little girl's arms and rocking him against her chest.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetie, don't be upset," she said, between her soothing murmurings to her son. "That's what babies do when they want something. He's bothered about something, but I'm sorry he's scaring you..."

Lucy was too far gone to heed her though; her howls increased in intensity, so Danny scooped her up off the bed and carried her outside.

"Come on, honey, let's get you calmed down and let Aunt Stella and Uncle Mac settle Alexander," he told her as they moved out into the corridor, acutely aware of the glances he was receiving from passers-by.

At first all he could do was stand against the wall swaying Lucy in his arms as she wailed with her arms wrapped round his neck and her legs around his waist.

Little by little her clinging grip eased and the wails subsided to sobs. Finally they faded to gasps and hiccups as he continued to pat her back and assure her she was okay. Her small shoulders still shuddered, buffeted by the storm of tears, but she managed to raise her head.

"Feeling better, Lucy-girl?" He set her down on the floor and wiped her face with a wad of Kleenex a kindly nurse had passed to him.

She shook her head, her mouth scrunched up and her eyes puffy. "He... he hurt my ears," she hiccupped, aggrieved and offended. "He's very bad, Daddy. He's a bad baby; a noisy, bad baby. I don't... don't like him..." Another sob shook her and she covered her face.

Danny sighed, the signs of a tired and overwrought little girl all too apparent. "He didn't mean to, honey," he said, tucking a few strands of hair behind the poor hurt ears and giving them a gentle rub. "He was just letting us know he was unhappy and because he can't talk, he's got to do that by crying. Just like when you ain't happy, you get upset, so does he."

Lucy peeped at him through her fingers, her breath still hitching. "Still don't like him," she mumbled.

Alexander's cries had softened from the ear-jangling pitch they had been at to a muted whimpering, so Danny made a decision.

"How about we go say goodbye then head home?" He hunkered down to her level. "What do you think, huh?"

Lucy wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, but her face was set stubbornly. "Okay. But I'm not saying goodbye to Alexander, 'cause he might cry again."

Danny dabbed at her tear-smudged cheeks with the heap of Kleenex. "I don't think he will. He's probably feeling sleepy now after all that crying."

"He better not cry," Lucy's bottom lip protruded and she rubbed her nose with the sleeve of her sweater.

Letting the muttered comment pass, Danny took her hand again. "Let's go say goodbye then, because that's polite when you've been visiting people and your Aunt Stella and Uncle Mac will be sad if you don't, okay?"

"'Kay," Lucy sniffed, coughing a couple more times as she recovered herself. "I'll say goodbye..." she darted him a look from underneath lowered eyebrows, "To Aunt Stella and Uncle Mac." Danny simply shrugged, determined to keep the issue low-key and led her back into the room.

Inside, they found a sleep-lulled Alexander being rocked in Stella's arms, his hand splayed against her chest while Mac sat beside her at an angle, his arm round her hips as he stroked the baby's leg with a finger.

Lucy trailed into the room behind her father and hung back, listening in silence as Stella told her they were sorry Alexander had frightened her; Mac adding that he hoped she still wanted to come and visit him again. But the minutest of smiles appeared on her face as she stood with her arms folded, twisting her body from side to side when he complimented her on how sensible and grown-up she had been to hold Alexander and not drop him even when she was scared.

Seeing the opportunity for reward and mending Lucy's mood even further, Danny reminded her about Dora doll and how she had wanted to show her to her Aunt and Uncle and Alexander. Dora was duly retrieved and shown off; Mac and Stella admiring her, while Alexander clutched Lucy's finger to her delight.

Shortly afterwards, when it came to making their goodbyes, even Alexander received a dab of a kiss on his cheek. Lucy departed cheerfully, the sun shining in her face as she waved from the door and caught the kiss Stella blew to her with a giggle.

As soon as they left the hospital, she reminded him of his promise of pancakes so they included a detour in their homeward journey. Two hours later, it was a very sticky and very sleepy little girl that Danny ushered through the front door - an extra pancake had been the price paid for the fact that he had forgotten to remind her about wearing her princess shoes in the hospital room.

They spent the rest of the evening sprawled on the couch together with books and DVDs until bath and bed time. Pleas and protests arose at this point, Lucy doing her best to persuade him to let her stay up until Mommy got home, but Danny was adamant. A sulk was narrowly avoided when he reminded her how sensible and grown-up she'd been all day and promised that she could tell Mommy all about meeting Alexander if she was still awake when she got home. That appeased her and she took her bath with enjoyment and the usual mountains of bubbles and rubber duck water sports.

Even Danny found himself yawning alongside Lucy as he tucked her in and switched on her night light. As he bent over to kiss her goodnight, she wriggled about and admitted that maybe she'd be okay to see Alexander again, as long as he was good and didn't cry. Danny grinned at her, ruffled her hair and told her he was proud of her. She was asleep with a look of pure contentment on her face before he left the room.

He was dozing on the couch, when the front door clicked open and Lindsay's light footfalls were heard in the hallway.

"Hey, babe," he called in an undertone, rousing himself, "You okay? I'm on the couch, Lucy's in bed, your dinner's on the coffee table."

"Hey." Lindsay walked in, dropped her purse on the floor and collapsed next to him, lifting her legs over his and flopping her head onto his chest.

"Long day?" he asked, kissing the crown of her head.

She nodded with a groan, bumping his chin. "_Oh_ yeah. A _long_ day. You know how pushed we are without Mac and Stella, I thought I was never going to leave..."

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair, combing the long strands through his fingers. "Luce and me missed you."

"I missed you too, honey," she sighed, shifting to gaze up at him as her fingers traced the stubble on his jaw line. "I wish I could have come with you."

"So did we," he grinned. "But who'd have kept the lab running without you there?"

"Danny!" She swatted him, but failed to hide a grin as she continued. "Did you have a good day? How are Mac and Stella and Alexander? What did Lucy think?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Danny asked, remembering the elevator experience with Lucy earlier which he knew Lindsay would enjoy hearing about.

He filled her in on the events of the day and satisfied all her queries as they spent the next twenty minutes eating the sandwiches he'd prepared, cuddling and catching up with each other. As they talked though, and as he massaged her legs lightly, from her body language, he sensed there was something she was holding back on. But he didn't press her; she would tell him when she was ready.

After he finished regaling her with Lucy's reaction to Alexander, he was perturbed at the strange look that crossed her face.

He frowned. "What's up, babe? Thought you might've found that funny."

She did not answer immediately. Instead, as Lucy had done earlier, she fiddled with his dog tags.

Stilling her hand with his, he asked in a soft voice, "Something bothering you, Linds?"

There was a mingling of excitement and anxiety in her face. "I was just... just wondering, how, uh, how Lucy'd be... how she'd react to a little brother or sister... how she'd feel about being a big sister..."

There was silence.

Danny's heart rate increased as his hand squeezed his wife's, the implications of what she was saying seeping into his cognition. "Uh... are we talking theory here or actually?"

Her hand curled underneath his, clenching round the dog tags as she stared at him, a trace of nervousness beneath the surface of her eyes. "I'm pretty certain..."

"For real? Another baby? Is that what you're telling me?"

She nodded, biting her lip, her fingers now lacing with his. "I'd kind of wondered for a couple of days, but didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure... So I did a couple of tests today... okay, four to be exact, and, well, the verdict was unanimous..." She dropped her eyes for a moment before lifting them to his with a small grin. "I guess despite what we said Lucy isn't going to be an only child for much longer."

Danny blinked and swallowed, his voice lost for a moment. Until he gathered a few coherent words together and spoke them hoarsely. "Wow... another baby? We're going to have two kids?"

The tumult of joy, trepidation and amazement almost washed him away. So he did the only thing he could in the circumstances, clung to his wife in an embrace.

"You're okay with that?" she asked, a trace of anxiety quivering in her voice.

"I'm more than okay, Linds. You've made me the happiest man on earth," he murmured against the soft skin of her face. "And Lucy's going to be the best big sister there is."

There was still doubt in Lindsay's eyes though, which he sought to expel. "Hey," he whispered. "You and Luce? The best things that ever happened to me; the best things on earth and if we're going to have another baby, then that's just going to make thing even better. Maybe it'll take a little getting used to at first, but all of us have been through tough times and this'll be a breeze, promise."

He brushed the pad of his thumb across Lindsay's cheekbone and she gave him a smile with eyes that sparkled. "I believe you, Danny Messer. Despite everything, you've never broken a promise to me yet..."

A little voice interrupted them. "Mommy? Daddy?" Clutching Dora doll and rubbing her eyes, a small person in pyjamas stood by the living room door. "Mommy, you haven't kissed me goodnight." The corners of her mouth turned down as she shuffled into the room and over to them.

"Oh honey, Mommy's sorry, but she can give you a hug and a kiss right now." Swinging her legs down off the couch, Lindsay swept her daughter up, laying kisses on her cheek and settling her on her knee, while Danny wrapped his arms round both of them, joining all of them together.

Stroking her mother's face with her fingertips, Lucy gazed up at her. "Can I tell you about Alexander? Daddy said I could if I was awake." She tipped her head on one side, looking hopeful.

After an amused glance at Danny, Lindsay turned to Lucy with a smile. "Sure you can, baby girl, but first of all, we've got something very special to tell you..."

**Many thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you thought, reviews very welcome. Thanks, Lily x**


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